Goode Finds Home At WAVE3

No game of Hot Wheels is complete without a snowstorm made of sugar – at least that’s what Brian Goode thought when he and his brother were “building a city” with the toy vehicles as children.

“I spread (sugar) through the whole city and the cars wouldn’t go, and it was just chaos. I got yelled at later for all that,” Goode laughed. “But, the fun part about it is that’s when I think that moment hit me: … There’s that point where everybody has control of everything they’re doing in life, but the weather is the one element that affects how your day will go or your plans.”

From then on, weather became a passion for Goode, who studied up on meteorology as a teenager, while he coped with an ailment that kept him inside much of the time. “I had a disease called Angioedema, which is severe hives, allergies, and the version that I had I actually was allergic to everything, including the outside air,” Goode explained. “Even during fire drills, I wasn’t even allowed to go outside. So, I did nothing but study. I would do research on books, and then I had my little Jambox radio, and I would actually record the news opens off TV at WAVE 3, and then I’d get my friends over and we would do our own newscasts.”

Making the best of his tough situation paid off for Goode, who at the age of 13 became known as the Fern Creek Kroger Weatherman, breaking in over the grocery store’s intercom to announce the day’s weather. Running with his early experience in the trade, Goode next excelled at Western Kentucky University, where in 1998 he and his best friend created the WKU Storm Team, a student-run television meteorology club still in existence today at the school.

“The plan was to be able to create a team, do a broadcast in a closed-circuit television station within the campus,” Goode said. “Anytime there was severe weather, we’d break in live and cover it.”

Goode’s club not only became a prime source of weather news across WKU’s campus, but it also managed to merge the broadcasting and meteorology students, who historically had a divisive relationship, “because broadcast students weren’t really interested in dealing with the science nerdy type, and then the nerdy types thought that there was too much ego in broadcasting.”

But Goode’s club changed much of that. Proving successful at the college level, Goode eventually landed his first job in Bowling Green, followed by a position in Charleston, S.C. and later The Weather Channel in Atlanta.

Now a meteorologist at WAVE 3, airing at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and serving as the Weekend Sunrise Storm Center Meteorologist, Goode is happy to be home, reunited with his family. “The ultimate goal was to be here at WAVE just because that’s what I grew up watching,” said Goode, whose idol and mentor was WAVE 3’s John Belski.

In fact, it was Belski who helped Goode throughout much of his career, even showing him around the WAVE 3 station when Goode was just 12 years old. “Belski was always my idol as a kid in weather, period,” Goode said. “He was on WLKY at the time doing the weather. And really my main fascination with him became when he would always show Santa on the radar on Christmas Eve, and I really thought Santa was on the radar. His style was always the style I kind of related to, he was real fun.”

WAVE 3 Meteorologist Brian Goode.

As a teenager, Goode would call Belski to talk about the weather and seek advice. But it was a phone conversation with the veteran weatherman in 2010 that made the most difference in Goode’s career. “It was July of 2010 that Belski called me at The Weather Channel, it was like 10 o’clock at night and … he just wanted me to know that he was going to retire in September. No one knew yet. And he wanted me to throw my name in the hat.”

Goode did just that, landing a job at WAVE 3 alongside former fellow intern at WLKY and diehard Belski fan, Kevin Harned.

The move back to Louisville has been one of excitement and enjoyment for Goode – and his Bishon Frise, Nemo – as he’s become reacquainted with the wacky weather of the city. From pouring sugar “snow” to starting his own station in college and reporting throughout the East and the South, Goode’s finally made his way back to the one place he dreamed of working as a child. “I’ve done a lot,” Goode reflected on his career. “I can check off the idea of working for NBC at a network level. Wasn’t me. … That’s not why I’m in the business. I’m in it because I love the community aspect, I love severe weather, live coverage … and I love snow. … Louisville’s very unique geographically for having that. So being in this market where I am, I like.”

Getting To Know Goode

I enjoy my job most because it allows the other side of me to come out: the creative side, the fun side, the side that allows me to be more outgoing, because I’m not like that naturally.

I would describe Louisville’s weather as “truly unexpected.” It’s a challenging city for weather. I love that we have the seasons that may not fall on the right times … We do have the extremes that happen in Louisville’s climate. … We have some weird, weird stuff that happens here.

Favorite spot on a sunny day in Louisville is Cherokee Park.

Favorite thing to do on a rainy day in Louisville is go see a movie. I’m a movie nut.

About the Author

[gravatar email="aanderson@voice-tribune.com" size="60" alt="Ashley Anderson" class="user-picture"]
Ashley spends half her time writing stories at The Voice-Tribune office and half her time out on the town conducting interviews, while occasionally dressing in wild outfits to fully immerse herself in the experience (aka Princess Leia at Comic Con). Ashley is a huge UofL fan and loves the Yankees and the Boston Celtics (she is fully aware of the irony). She hopes to one day outshine Erin Andrews on ESPN and enjoys running, Bardstown Road/Fourth Street, Breaking Bad and reality TV (she’s not ashamed to admit that).